Chelsea Walker’s fizzy, sun-soaked take on Shakespeare’s best-loved comedy has charmed the critics, with the sparring partnership of Pippa Nixon’s Beatrice and Ken Nwosu’s Benedick singled out as one of the most enjoyable accounts of the roles in years, though reviewers were divided on how fully the production embraces the play’s darker, more troubling edges.
Directed by Chelsea Walker at Shakespeare’s Globe, this Much Ado About Nothing is a fast-paced, joyful and visually gorgeous summer production, big on romcom energy, music and dance. Pippa Nixon (Hamlet, King John) and Ken Nwosu (Killing Eve, The Big Door Prize) lead as Beatrice and Benedick, the witty, marriage-averse “frenemies” whose journey from mutual mockery to love drives the play, with Assa Kanouté as Hero and Joseph Potter as a genuinely menacing Don John.
The consensus is of a hugely entertaining, crowd-pleasing evening, though critics differed on how successfully it reckons with the play’s more uncomfortable themes around female virtue and male jealousy.
The verdict: A joyful, beautifully staged and irresistibly crowd-pleasing summer Much Ado, anchored by a wonderful Beatrice and Benedick, even if critics disagreed on how far it leans into the play’s darkness.
Critic’s comparison
| Publication  | Rating  | The Key Takeaway  |
| The Telegraph | ★★★★ | A joyous, magical summer Much Ado with one of the most charming Beatrice-and-Benedick pairings of the decade |
| The Guardian | ★★★ | A riot of romcom energy, gorgeous in sound and look and a sure summer blockbuster, if light on the play’s darkness |
| The Times | ★★★ | Fizzy, slick and sitcom-fast, though the balance between froth and the play’s moral undertow is only just struck |
The reviews: what they loved about Much Ado About Nothing
- Pippa Nixon and Ken Nwosu’s central pairing. The sparring partnership drew near-universal praise. The Telegraph called it “one of the most charming accounts of Shakespeare’s sparring partners this decade,” singling out Nixon’s “alley-cat fleetness and unpredictability.” The Guardian found the cast “universally adept, particularly Nixon as the witty and stridently single Beatrice,” while The Times praised the “skirmish of wit” between Nixon’s “mischievous vivacity” and Nwosu’s “wry, equally marriage-wary Benedick.”
- The comedy and the eavesdropping scenes. Critics relished the production’s silliness. The Guardian described the gulling scenes as “such silly fun,” while The Telegraph delighted in Nwosu diving into a water-filled trolley and Nixon being drenched under a flower basket.
- The music, dance and design. The Guardian was especially taken with the “gorgeous” music and dance and the costumes’ “warm palette of pinks, light greys and lemons,” praising the “excellent live band.”
- Richard Katz’s Dogberry. The inept constable, often a drag on the play’s pace, was a highlight here. The Times found Katz “almost worthy of the Marx brothers,” The Guardian called him “wonderfully oddball-ish”.
- A genuinely sinister Don John. Joseph Potter’s villain impressed across the board. The Telegraph described his face as “a lexicon of psychotic intensity,” and The Times branded him “the dirtiest beast” of the piece.
The reviews: what fell flat for Much Ado About Nothing
- A reluctance to embrace the play’s darkness, but not all agreed. The most common reservation was that the production prioritised fun over the text’s more troubling material. The Guardian felt it was “not quite as keen to lean in to the problematic elements of the play,” with the darkness “dissipat[ing] in the face of so much fun and froth,” while The Times agreed the balance between frivolity and the play’s “moral undertow” was struck only “just about.”
- The aborted-wedding scene. The Guardian felt the production’s pivotal dark moment didn’t fully land, noting the scene “does not fully swivel into stark, potentially tragic territory” and seemed “resolved too tripplingly,” questioning whether Hero takes Claudio back “with too much embracing gusto.”
- Some random-feeling directorial flourishes. The Guardian found certain added kisses, such as those between Beatrice and the messenger, and between Don John and Borachio, hinted at sexual attraction but “feel a little random, an unsustained idea rather than a new twist.” The Telegraph similarly wondered whether Walker “doesn’t need to slap us awake so quickly” with the opening snog.
The back story
Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare’s most popular and frequently performed comedies, celebrated above all for the “merry war” between Beatrice and Benedick: two sworn singletons whose friends conspire to trick them into admitting their love for one another.
Around that central romance runs a darker plot, as the young Hero is publicly and cruelly shamed at the altar by her suitor Claudio, the victim of a malicious deception engineered by the villainous Don John.
It’s that combination of light and shade that makes the play both a perennial crowd-pleaser and, increasingly, something of a “problem play” for modern audiences. particularly in its treatment of female virtue, public shaming and the ease with which Hero forgives the man who destroyed her reputation.
Chelsea Walker’s contemporary production sets the action on a bright, modern, image-conscious stage, using dance, live music and animal-mask revelry to bring out both the play’s joy and, more fleetingly, its unease.
The cast includes:
- Beatrice: Pippa Nixon (RSC)
- Benedick: Ken Nwosu (Killing Eve, The Big Door Prize)
- Hero: Assa Kanouté
- Claudio: Joshua John
- Don John: Joseph Potter
- Don Pedro: Adam Long
- Dogberry: Richard Katz
- Margaret: Matilda Bailes
- Borachio: Marlowe Chan-Reeves
- Verges: Os Leanse
- Friar: Geraldine Alexander
The company is directed by Chelsea Walker, with set and costume design by Sami Fendall, music by Angus MacRae and movement direction by Aline David.
Where to see Much Ado About Nothing
- Venue: Shakespeare’s Globe, London — until 24 October 2026
- Runtime: 3 hours including interval
- See more details
What are the critics saying about Much Ado About Nothing?
"When Shakespeare's Globe is in its element, there's no more magical spot."
"The emphasis on much-needed fun continues with a Much Ado About Nothing that duly honours the play's light and shade."
"It gives us one of the most charming accounts of Shakespeare's sparring partners this decade."
"Nixon… [has] an alley-cat fleetness and unpredictability to it, such that the space almost seems too small for Beatrice's confident, untamed spirit."
"Joseph Potter's face is a lexicon of psychotic intensity."
"A riot of romcom energy… insuppressibly crowd-pleasing, eminently worth seeing."
"This elegant, effervescent production of Shakespeare's problem play has all the markings of a sure summer blockbuster."
"The music and dance is simply gorgeous; so are the costumes with their warm palette of pinks, light greys and lemons."
"The cast is universally adept, particularly Nixon as the witty and stridently single Beatrice."
"It is not quite as keen to lean in to the problematic elements of the play."
"A slick sitcom of love and mischief."
"This pair of frenemies function like opposing magnets whose push-me-pull-you attraction… grounds the play in rollicking and sarcastic humour."
"Sami Fendall's cool, bright and all-white set is a double-staircase backed by billowy curtains."
"Richard Katz's energetic turn as the inept, language-mangling and often tedious watchman Dogberry is almost worthy of the Marx brothers."
"Ultimately what we're left with is the taste of love games that can all too easily become bittersweet."
Shakespeare's Globe, London
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